Impossible to track citizens using Aadhaar: Centre tells SC

New Delhi: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it is not possible to use Aadhaar to track citizens,

The UIDAI, said the systems and law are safeguarded to ensure that the government does not use Aadhaar for surveillance even if the court permits them, NDTV reported.

The agency also added that too much was being discussed of 'privacy' being a fundamental right. "Nothing is private in the online era," Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a nine-judge constitution bench that is considering whether privacy is a fundamental right of every citizen.

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The Centre told the Supreme Court last week that right to privacy is a fundamental right, but it is a wholly qualified right.

"Every aspect of it does not qualify as a fundamental right, as privacy also includes the subtext of liberty," Attorney General KK Venugopal had said.

The Supreme Court had set up a nine-judge bench to decide whether right to privacy can be declared a fundamental right under the Indian Constitution.

The apex court had said that right to privacy cannot be an absolute right and the state may have some power to put reasonable restriction, while examining the issue whether it can be declared as a fundamental right under the Constitution.

The apex court had agreed to set up a bench on July 12 to deal with the Aadhaar-related matters after the attorney general and senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for petitioners, had jointly mentioned the matter.

The petitioners had claimed that collection and sharing of biometric information, as required under the scheme, was a breach of the "fundamental" right to privacy. Allowing the Centre's plea, the court had framed various questions, including as to whether right to privacy was a fundamental right, to be decided by a Constitution bench.